How Managers Can Support Staff and Build a Framework for Development

(Part 1 of a 2-Part Series)

by Janet Ward, National CASA Regional Program Officer–Midwest Region

We’ve all been there. You arrive back at the office after a really thought-provoking workshop, your head just bursting with new ideas to try. You are met with a stack of emails, a calendar of meetings or court dates and the crisis du jour. Two weeks later, you look up and see the materials from the workshop already beginning to accumulate a thin layer of dust along with the others on your bookshelf.

As a manager, you’ve not only been there, you’ve watched your staff go through the same frustration. You now have the added burden of wondering whether the expensive training your agency just paid for will show much return on investment. While no one can alter the heavy demands on front-line CASA/GAL staff, there are some strategies that managers can apply to reap greater profits from the significant time and money expended on staff development.

Managers must make sure that the agency culture (including the beliefs of those who govern the organization) embraces the concept and worth of staff development. That may mean some “myth-busting” is in order. Two myths that operate to the detriment of CASA programs are:

• “Our program can’t afford staff development.” While that view is not always stated, professional development is often the first line item cut when agency budgets are tight. In reality, programs can’t afford not to provide staff development as part of the effort to control expenses. Managers know what turnover costs. High-quality professional development is a singularly powerful staff retention tool. It doesn’t have to be expensive. There are lots of free and low-cost opportunities with the explosion of web-based training. Be creative when money is limited. What about an “exchange program” in which a staff member from one program agrees to spend some structured time mentoring/training a staffer from another CASA program in an area of personal expertise, say technology, in exchange for the other’s mentoring in marketing or recruitment? 
• “Our staff is too busy to take time away for staff development.” This statement may mean that development is undervalued by the organization. The best staff development not only educates, it helps employees re-envision, reenergize and recommit to the mission. If workloads are so heavy that they present a barrier to engaging in professional development, there may be even more serious issues. Since the entire program benefits from staff development, especially the volunteers, it’s likely that some current advocates or other non-advocate volunteers can be recruited and trained for occasional “fill-in” duty. However, this will happen only if managers deem it a priority.

Managers need to be flexible about what constitutes staff development. It should be viewed as a process rather than a list of workshops. Encourage staff suggestions and the use of non-traditional formats and resources. Make sure the options chosen enhance individual skills as well as being tied to the agency mission. Set the expectation that employees will process and share the learning by incorporating opportunities into employees’ schedules and work plans.

In part two of this article, specific strategies to support staff development will be explored further.